It's calling out pro's who let their standard of riding down. It's not just to talk ****. Wakeboarding is both a sport and an art form, many of you praised Randall and he pretty much said the same thing. CARE about the way you do your tricks. The more a rider cares and prefects his style the better it will get.

To me the site is spot on. Yeah it should be laughed at and not taken too seriously but at the same time it makes the point that many wakeboarders are sloppy with their tricks. If you look to other boardsports (I know many on here hate the comparison to other sports) the pros aren't sloppy. They care, and for some that is the reason they are pro.

What Randall said made him sound like a real tool. Not everyone will have the same opinion of what looks good and what doesn't, whats the proper way to do a trick and whats not. Wakeboarding is a hobby. You're still being pulled by a rope and for that reason will always be looked at as less legitimate. To each his own. Less critique, more fun!

If you look to other boardsports (I know many on here hate the comparison to other sports) the pros aren't sloppy. They care, and for some that is the reason they are pro.

I beg to differ, on the simple point that wakezeach is a knockoff of harshzeachtoscorpion,com, the snowboarding version run by Bode Merrill and co. But at least they put their name behind their site and stand up for what they say.

For a lot of people, riding a board is a hobby and it's fine if they want to do something just to do it (landing a trick or whatever). For someone who is paid and is supposed to be at the top of their game, they should care. Every board sport has gone through their growing stages to have the standards be so high. I think wake has had to accelerate their standards because the precedent has been set by snowboarding and skateboarding. And riders have worked for years to get riding to the point where style mattered more than what you did (that separation from the wateski mentality).

And it really doesn't matter if people hate the comparison to other board sports because the bottom line is we are apart of board sports that borrow a lot from other board sports. The comparisson WILL be there whether you want it or not.

I will add I'm not a full on follower--some stuff is funny and some of it, he tries too hard. But i understand wanting people to care more.

Alright, so how many pro riders would you say actual care about this standard, and live by it? 1? Because every one of the top riders is grabbing slob when they spin, grabbing Nuke, and doing all of this things that a very small sample of people frown upon.

That site calls out Dowdy for not grabbing, when he's throwing 9s, kgb5s and KGB7s. Progressing the sport! So he shouldn't learn those tricks if he can't grab them out of the gate? Did Byerly land each new spin with a grab the first time? should he just be doing grabbed backside 180s in the flats like everyone else.

I dont know why people give a flying turd what other people think about their riding. If you are winning contests and some cash, cool. If you are not a contest rider and are making some cash, cool. If this is your hobby, and you want to grab tindy, cool. Ride for money, ride for fun, or do both. Stop worrying about what other people say or think. Everyone is so focused on what other people may think about them or their riding, or if they should name their boat. Who cares?! Do what you want, and enjoy your career, hobby, life, etc.

As said above, this seems to be a rip from snowboarding. I will say though that the guys that run harshzeachtoscorpion have posted funny pictures of themselves from time to time. Overall, they're just doing it to joke around vs really being serious. I guess there is a little bit of truth in every joke though..

Not sure what the intentions are of WakeZeach, but I'll take it as comedy vs really trying to put anyone down. In that sense, it is pretty hilarious.

Alright, so how many pro riders would you say actual care about this standard, and live by it?

Not enough, but they're out there. Maybe wakeboarding is a hobby for Joehekler, but for others it's something they've devoted their lives to and they think deeply about it. They're the ones who generally stand up and take notice of what someone like Randall has to say on the matter.

I've heard that wakezeach guy is some Canadian kid who used to judge at IWSF comps (Clearly a shining bastion for style in wakeboarding)

I would almost bet money that GQ (aka Cisco) runs that site. If anyone on here remembers him he started the wakenewsonly site and the style is very similar bw the two (very comical character too btw). Anyways, just who I think it is. Entertaining site tho none the less.

Yeah like Bryce said I did some research once on the site trying to see who was running it. At the time the site and CISCO really were under my skin. I am over it.

I think for some of us that have been wakeboarding since the beginning, back when it was Skurfing, we take the site and people like that way too seriously. I know for myself, I used to have to defend wakeboarding to all the hardcore slalom, trick, and jumpers back in the day. Nothing like going to a contest in the early 90's and having it be a 3-event contest, but yet they "let" us wakeboarders and kneedboards ride as well. Behind the slalom boat, write down your run, and get points for evey trick. So when people discredit wakeboarding I typically go right into captain defendo mode. I am over that now. I think the site is just plan ridiculous and refuse to buy into that mentality. For me someone calling someone else out for how they ride, grab, spin, and what kinda boardshort they have is ust asinine. Especially when the person cannot even come close to doing the tricks they are calling out. But that's just me, and I am cool with that.

That said, I am heading to the lake to grab my fs 540's slob and take my nuke grabs to blind! And just or wakezeach.com I might have to intentionally do some tindy grabs today!

If you're really curious about the origin of zeaching, look it up on www.yobeat.com, there was an article on there a little while ago. Or look up Zach Leach (sp?) on any semi-legit snowboarding site. Basically a dude trying to do skateboard tricks on a snowboard and it didn't work out so well (as evidenced by this thread).

i think he should embrace the post and roll with it!!! its awesome.... the guy shreds. as for 3 year old footy..... it's old. its clear he was young and confused at the time.... i mean hes riding a jd webb hyperlite board. nothing says troubled confused youth like that!!! lol. he started the site less than a year ago..... call it a personal awakening of sorts...

skate and snow publications, producers, photogs, media and pros have for the most part figured it out..... wake will prob be 10 years behind as usual. good job burwell.

It really is funny that Mr. Burwell puts it upon himself to criticize others riding. Wakeboarding should be a personal expression, not what someone else or some other sport wants it to be. Do your own thing and enjoy yourself while you do it.

That being said, get radical, pre spin like crazy just make sure you call the trick what it is. Generally somewhere between 180-270° less than you wish to claim.

do your own thing just have some standards..... thats been a staple in surf, skate and then snow for years. some people get by doing an "alright" job or "just enough".... others reach for the top and do things the proper way.....for those that dont get it.... all good...some dont.

I have been accused a few times of running that site, but nope. Not me.
I kind of like the site actually, and even some of the commentary.
It's pretty clear what his opinions are and who he does admire in the sport (Schwenne, Lidberg) - and also clear who he doesn't admire (Errington, Ruck). I wish he'd write longer posts actually. There is one post where a kid is on a fun box, 50/50'ing with the front rail dug all the way in and he's doing that stupid tippy-toe slide thing with his heels up, the rope is pointing almost straight up - and the caption is just ".....yep." As that is one of my biggest pet peeves personally, I wish he had written at least a paragraph on how stupid that is. Like, how that shows almost everything that bothers me about cable is in one easy to digest picture. Everyone has a right to their own editorial style, their own comments and their own opinions. The site doesn't bother me. I can't do half the s#it he's calling zeaching anyway - some of it still looks cool despite him slamming it. Like the Mitch Langfield cover.